Naval Security Group WAVES During WWII (Part 2 of 3)

In 1943, thirty WAVES from Naval Communications Annex (OP-20-G), on Nebraska Avenue in Washington D.C. were sent to the field station at Imperial Beach, California (designated Station “I”) to augment the communications center.

At this station Japanese naval messages were intercepted and sent to Washington by land-line. Several Model 19 teletype machines with a page printer, key punch head, and key punch reader, plus one Dunderbeck machine, were used for this purpose. To speed transmission of this vital information, the more proficient WAVES in typing would start the message tape on-line using a Model 19, with a short “loop” to provide slack. The messages were punched on tape at speeds of up to 100 WPM. This was required to keep ahead of the tape reader and not let the reader break the tape.

Everyone worked shifts around the clock: 4 to 12, 8 to 4 and finally 12 to 8 always alternating with 48 hours off after a full shift. Near the end of the World War II, a small building was constructed adjacent to the main communications room. This building contained Model 1515 crypto machines for enciphering intercepted Japanese messages to be sent by radio to processing centers in the Pacific. The WAVES who operated these machines were alone at night and were sometimes a little frightened.